Love Thyself, Also the Puckline

In these uncertain times, it is important to look inward for solace. Remember, the reassurance and confidence you need just to make it through another day is always there inside you.

After all, you have value, so be sure to value yourself. Also, check out the odds on the NHL’s puckline. Plenty of value there, too.

Good Bets vs. Value Bets

If you have any experience with sports betting, you’ve probably heard talk of a wager having “value.” The value of any wager is the ratio of risk versus reward.

Basically, low risk plus high reward equals good value. However, this is not to be confused with a “good” bet.

The Knicks are Bad

A good bet is any wager considered a sure thing. For instance, the New York Knicks are a garbage fire of a basketball franchise, and you should bet against them every chance you get. Betting against the Knicks will always be a good bet.

However, that doesn’t mean it has value. Everyone knows the Knicks are bad. Everyone knows the Knicks are a garbage fire.

Therefore, there is no reward for what you are risking. Being able to spot good value on a wager is a skill, and there is no better way to hone it than on the puckline.

What is a Puckline?

Hockey is like soccer, just not a complete waste of time, and traditional point spreads don’t work for low scoring sports like these.

For this reason, sportsbooks created the puckline for the NHL. Think of it as part Moneyline, part point spread. On the puckline, the point spread is always 1.5; then, odds are applied to determine the wager’s payout.

Simple enough, right? But, wait, where’s the value?

There’s Always Value on the Puckline

The value of the puckline comes once the odds are applied. As mentioned, hockey is just like soccer. It’s not stupid like soccer, but it is low scoring like soccer.

Since 1.5 goals is a significant amount of scoring, the odds that are applied usually turn the wager on its head. Favorites giving the 1.5 get underdog payout odds and the underdog getting the 1.5 receive the favorite’s payoutodds.

Any time a team favored to win is receiving underdog payout odds, that’s value.

Pick Your Spots

Exploiting the value built into puckline wagers still takes some studying. After all, you can’t simply wager on every puckline favorite and expect success. Sportsbooks and their oddsmakers are smart. However, what you can do is pick your spots with favorites on the puckline.

Since a favorite is giving the 1.5, they’ll have to win the game by two goals to cover the puckline. Two-goal victories may be tough to come by in the NHL, but there are plenty of them, especially by the better teams in the league.

If you are picking your spots while wagering on, say, the top five teams in the NHL, you are placing value wagers.

Spot Your Picks

Just like anything else, the more you watch for opportunities to play a favorite on the puckline, the more they will present themselves. The Bruins coming off a tough loss with the Red Wings coming to town, take Boston.

The Lightning starting a long road trip versus the Kings, take Tampa. Focus on teams with a .500 record ATS as a favorite, while a .500 record may not be anything to write home about upon first glance, with the odds you are getting, it’s a goldmine.

You Have Value

Remember, you. You have friends and family. You treat people fairly and have a decent credit score. You aren’t soccer, and you’re not the New York Knicks.

You have value in this world. Shouldn’t your sports wagers have value, too?

About The Author

Rodney is our resident St. Louis fan. He lives and bleeds everything STL. Cardinals, Blues and the former Rams... Rodney is a sports junkie that loves to interact on social media and talk sports with you. I challenge any of you to question his sports knowledge on one of those platforms. You may lose :) He also does some hosting on ESPN radio and has been a long time advocate of sports betting in the US.

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